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Rebuilding the 460 the right way this time

Ok, so Brad Garner did a horrible job of rebuilding the 460 back when the project began. So we decided to do it right this time. After several years of collecting dust, Project Responder is back on the road. The entire project required some extra work due to the extra height from the 40 inch Mickey Thompson / Dick Cepek tires. So the first order of business was to erect a gantry crane with which to remove the big block. Once the crane was in place, we began disassembling the motor and cataloging all of the parts.

The inside of the block. Notice the huge chunk missing and the crazy hash marks inside the cylinders.
The inside of the block. Notice the huge chunk missing and the crazy hash marks inside the cylinders.
Engine close up. Notice the huge chunk missing and the crazy hash marks inside the cylinders.
Engine close up. Notice the huge chunk missing and the crazy hash marks inside the cylinders.
This is what the block should have looked like the first time. Clean and machined.
This is what the block should have looked like the first time. Clean and machined.
Notice the cylinders. They are perfectly honed and ready for the pistons.
Notice the cylinders. They are perfectly honed and ready for the pistons.

Thanks to A and K Machine Shop, the block is perfect.

Once the motor was out and with our new machine shop, A&K Machine Shop in DeSoto, we found out just how bad the first rebuild job really was. Where to begin. Well let's start with the pistons. ALL of the piston rings were broken. One of the cylinders had a huge chunk missing which should have been sleeved. The cam bearings had all slid at least a quarter of an inch out of their seats. One of the lobes on the camshaft had been completely worn off and the inside of the engine block was still rusty and scaly. It was truly a horrible site.

The rebuild was a sight for sore eyes. Seeing the block clean and true was amazing. Austin did an amazing job. Cylinder number two had been sleeved, the block decked and the rust completely gone. It was the difference of night and day. We even had bungs welded into the oil pan for our temperature sending unit and an oil level check plug.

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